Ancient Humans, Dogs Hunted Mastodon in Florida: Early Dogs Helped Humans Hunt Mammoths

Discovery News ^ | May 13, 2016 | Jennifer Viegas

[SunkenCiv]

The geology of the site, as well as pollen and algae finds, suggest that the hunter-gatherers encountered the mastodon next to a small pond that both humans and animals used as a water source, the researchers believe.

Waters said that the prehistoric "people knew how to find game, fresh water and materials for making tools. These people were well adapted to this environment. The site is a slam-dunk pre-Clovis site with unequivocal artifacts, clear stratigraphy and thorough dating."

Another research team previously excavated the site and found what they believed were dog remains, so dogs "would most likely have been associated with the early hunters," Waters said, indicating that the remains would be studied further. If confirmed, they could be the earliest known evidence for dogs in the Americas.

In terms of other animals, he said, "The animal bones from the site tell us that mastodon, sloth, giant armadillo, dire wolf, mammoth, horse, camel and giant bison were present. These and other animals became extinct by 12,600 years ago."

So humans co-existed with all of these animals for at least 2,000 years before they died out, Halligan said.

Waters added, "The primary driver of extinction was likely climate and environmental changes that occurred at the end of the last ice age. However, if people were hunting these animals for 2,000 years prior to extinction, they must have made some impact."

Halligan suggested that the impact might have varied, depending on the location...

David Anderson, professor and associate head of the University of Tennessee’s Department of Anthropology, told Discovery News, "The new artifacts, dates and other lines of evidence provide a compelling case for early human use of the site and, by extension, the region."

[central_va]

Still ballsy, but not just a sharp stick.

Ok you do it.

[DuncanWaring]

It's easy if you know the right spot.

[DuncanWaring]

Part of the Recon Team?

[central_va]

I’ve seen a pissed off elephant. I cannot image a pissed off mastodon with a spears stuck in it. Run away!

[LambSlave]

Akita Inu, Alaskan Malamute, Basenji, Chow Chow, Shar Pei, Shiba Inu, and Siberian Husky are the only breeds whose DNA traces fairly directly to the first genetic branch from the Canis Lupus tree that could claim anything close to 14,000 years as a pure breed. Their behavior is quite striking compared to other breeds in that as a rule they care little about human approval, have exceptional intelligence but almost impossible to train to perform tasks (all housebreak very easily and bond quickly to their owner), have a double coat, and tend to behave with pack hierarchy and dominance behaviors very close to wild wolves. Most other breeds, and all hounds, are less than 800 years old, bred for herding and hunting, and in my opinion, have little in common in terms of behavior with the oldest breeds. I have been very close to each of the old breeds during my life, and always felt they were unique and related, but it is only in the last decade that this has been shown scientifically. Below is one of my girls, a Chow Chow.

[kitchen]

Here's an old film of Bushmen hunting a giraffe with poisoned arrows about the size of knitting needles. 3,000 pound, give or take, is a lot less than the speculated weight of a mastodon - maybe 12 tons. Nobody knows how long it took to kill a mastodon with spears, but I wouldn't be surprised if some toxic substance that slowed their reflexes or paralyzed muscles near a spear wound was part of the process.

[BloodScarletMinnesota]

“Dire Wolf” is an actual scientific name? And here I thought it was something made up by Game Of Thrones.

"Dire Wolf" was an ancient and now extinct much larger version of today's wolves.

[BloodScarletMinnesota]

I’ve seen a pissed off elephant. I cannot image a pissed off mastodon with a spears stuck in it. Run away!

Elephants are intelligent amazing powerful creatures; if they came trunk to trunk with their forebears the Mastodons, the elephants would bail out of pure common sense.

[Theoria]

Stanford and Bradley have a pov, that 'peoples' came from Europe. Dunno if DNA has helped them out on this one, or simply that lineage didn't make into the tested samples.

America 'discovered by Stone Age hunters from Europe'

See: Solutrean hypothesis

[SunkenCiv]

Sure, but the *real* men didn't even *use* a sharpened stick. ;') I don't think it's an accident that remains are found in sinkholes -- my wild guess is, the same strategy was used as was used later at Heads-Smashed-In in Canada.

[houeto]

Mastodon to Elephant to Mammoth

[SoCal Pubbie]

There were several species of mammoths besides the Columbian that the illustration seems to show. The much furrier woolly mammoth is most well known, but much smaller species also existed. Pygmy mammoths lived on the Channel Islands off the California coast and only grew to about six feet at the shoulders. There was also a dwarf species of the woolly variety on I think Wrangel Island.

[gleeaikin]

Mastadons tend to be earlier than mammoths, but perhaps their dig was deep enough to encompass thousands of years of animal remains.

[Daffynition]

Had to be Labs

[Daffynition]

Mastodon bones. Yum. I'll share

[Joe Boucher]

I was on the corner of Dale Mabry and Kennedy Blvd. in Tampa.
A truck was stopped at the light. As it took off a 55 gallon barrel fell off the back spilling the barrels load of large Beef bones all over the intersection.
A German Shepard came out from one of the Chevron work bays and fetched a very large bone and took it back to the bay.
Then he surprised me by coming out three more time to fetch more bones taking each back to the bay.
Good puppy.

[Daffynition]

The things you see in Tampa!

Is the topless car wash still in business?

[Joe Boucher]

No idea about that one but i have heard of a topless donut drive thru.